Improving Your Speed When Painting From Life: Part II

Would you call yourself a slow painter? Do you struggle to get enough completed in a 2–3-hour life session? Maybe you find yourself zooming in on detail right away instead of working on the subject as a whole. Maybe you try to see too many color and temperature changes too soon. Before you know it, time's up, but you feel like you've barely begun!

Well, last time, in Improving Your Speed When Painting From Life, I said "You don't have a time problem. You have a goal problem." Overcoming your time problems starts with setting specific, focused goals. Today, I'm going to take that concept to the next level—Your goals may be different depending on what type of life session you're attending.

To conquer the time limit of a life session, you must set a goal that is appropriate for that type of life session.

Today, I'll recommend some goals for two types of life sessions—gesture drawing and portrait/figure painting. When carefully applied, these goals will be a tremendous help in improving your speed when working from life.

Recommended Goals
When Gesture Drawing

In my opinion, your goal when gesture drawing should not be to produce a framable work of art. Sometimes that will happen, but most often it won't. But that's perfectly OK, because producing a framable work of art is not the primary purpose of gesture drawing. Rather, the primary purpose of gesture drawing is two-fold:

1. To sharpen your eye for accuracy
2. To infuse your drawings with movement and vitality.

Striving for a framable work of art from a gesture drawing session will distract you from the important practice you need. Instead, set a goal that complements the two-fold purpose above. Here are a few examples of appropriate goals when gesture drawing:

• To practice drawing a head in proportion to the body (See Drawing a Head In Proportion to the Body)


• To train your eyes to see the lyrical lines that the human figure naturally creates


• To practice your coordination in drawing lines that are both accurate and lyrical


• To practice seeing the subject's forms as 3-dimensional rather than flat (See 3 Ways to Conquer Foreshortening)

(To learn more about gesture drawing, see
Painting Figures That Look Dynamic, Not Stiff)

Recommended Goals When Painting
A Portrait or Figure From Life

Ideally, I like to create paintings entirely from life. But for me, this usually requires the model to return for multiple sessions, and sometimes that's difficult. If you only have one session with a model, I recommend that you adopt one of the following goals:

• To start a painting that you'll complete later from photos
  (This is usually the goal I set, as I very rarely finish my paintings to a satisfactory degree within the time-frame of a single life session.)


• To create a study for another painting that you'll complete later from photos


• To practice on one weak area
  (Make this one of the fundamentals—drawing, value, edge, temperature or color.)

As I'm sure you can tell, I'm a stickler for working from life. But photos can be a great aid, and I admit to using them frequently. If you intend to start a painting from life and finish it later from photos, here are a few things you need to know about photography that will help you maximize the time in a life painting session:

• Cameras do a great job of "drawing" (provided you avoid lens distortion)
  You should always aim to draw as accurately as possible. But you can save lots of precious time if you remember that your drawing can be fine-tuned later from your photos. In a life painting session, if you can't establish a reasonably accurate preliminary drawing in 25 min or less, I recommend you practice drawing from life with dry media until you can. Becoming more efficient at drawing will free up valuable time to document the other things your camera has a harder time capturing (see 3rd bullet).


• Cameras do a great job of capturing detail (provided you focus properly)
  I know you know this already, but we all need reminding. Detail should be your very last concern in a life session. It's so easy to waste time caught up in the details—believe me, I know. I suspect this is because we adopt a "walk away with a masterpiece" goal. Capturing detail is something cameras do very well, so take a few photos at the beginning and then make a conscious effort to ignore the details for now. As you paint from life, document the necessities first (see next bullet), and you'll often be pleasantly surprised to find a bit of time near the end of the session to throw in a few details.


• Cameras usually do a poor job of capturing values, edges, temperatures and colors the way the human eye sees.
  These are the fleeting elements you should use your precious time to capture from life, as they will probably be lost in your photos.
  

In Summary…

• Your goals may differ depending on what type of life session you're attending. 


• Set a goal that is appropriate for that type of life session. 


• When gesture drawing, don't expect to produce a framable work of art.
  Rather, use the opportunity to practice an area of weakness. 


• Unless you're able to work on a painting for multiple life sessions, I recommend treating your work as practice or as a study. 


• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of photography, and set goals for the life session accordingly.

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Does the huge array of paint color options at your art store cause you grief? So many beautiful colors; so little space on one's palette (and often, so few bucks in the art budget). How do you know which colors you really need? That's what I'll talk about next time in The Very Best Color Palette!

—Adam

Improving Your Speed When Painting From Life

Isn't it easy to run out of time when working from life? You're happily painting along, immersed in your craft while enjoying some nice music and refreshments. Slowly and unwittingly, you drift off to Artsyland, a realm that knows no time. Every now and then, you sense something is wrong when a break comes way too soon. But then the model resumes her pose, and you quickly fall again under Artsyland's hypnotic spell.

…Suddenly, someone announces "last 5 minutes!"

You blink. "What?! This can't be!" You look at your canvas. You have a rough outline of the head and a half-finished eye. Breathlessly, you slap down a few shapes that vaguely resemble the rest of the face, and you vignette everything else.

I want to assure you that you're not alone. Working within the time constraints of a life session is a challenge for any artist, myself included!

You may be surprised to hear this…

The reason you run out of time isn't that you don't have enough time. You don't have a time problem. You have a goal problem.

To help you with your goal problem, I'll ask you a question:

When you attended your last life painting session,
what was your goal?

Don't just say, "I didn't have a goal." You didn't show up by accident. Something made you want to be there. So what was it? Why did you go? Was it for one of the following reasons?

• Creating a good piece 
• Getting better at figure painting 
• Having fun

These might seem like good goals. However, by themselves, each of these is likely to send you straight to Artsyland. Goals like these will continually leave you feeling as though you didn't have enough time.

Why
Creating a Good Piece
Is Not a Good Goal

I'll let you in on a secret of mine. For every decent head study I share on Facebook, I've got one zillion "turkeys." If my goal for each of those head studies had been "creating a good piece," I would have been disappointed one zillion times.

We all want to create masterpieces. And every now and then, a life session will yield a great result. But most of the time, it doesn't. My recommendation is this: when you attend a life session, always strive to do your very best, but treat it as practice. When you do this, the pressure of creating a masterpiece is lifted. Now you are free to learn and actually improve your skills.

Why
Getting Better at Figure Painting
Is Not a Good Goal

At first glance, this might seem like the correct answer. But this goal is likely to slow your improvement for one reason—it lacks focus.

A runner's arm muscles are usually not as large as a body builder's. You would think that running—an exercise involving the whole body—would result in large muscles over the whole body. But it's obvious why that isn't so. building large arm muscles simply isn't the focus of running. If you want large arm muscles, you need to choose exercises that focus specifically on arm muscles.

Just like running involves the whole body, life sessions involve every fundamental art discipline. Just like you wouldn't hope to build huge arms from running, you shouldn't hope to improve at any one art discipline unless you set a specific goal.

Instead of your goal being "getting better at figure painting," choose one of the fundamental art disciplines to exercise (drawing, value, edge, temperature or color). Now you've got some real focus!

Now, I know you're thinking, "How does this help me improve my speed?"

Well, like this: When you focus on just one discipline, you say "no" to all the other concerns that vie for your time ("No details, I'm working on value tonight!"). The more you focus on that one discipline, the quicker you'll get at accomplishing it well the next time. Eventually, it will become second nature. When that happens, it's time to focus on the next discipline.

Why
Having Fun
Is Not a Good Goal

Actually, "having fun" is not a bad goal. If that's your goal, I'd like to encourage you to never stop having fun! But while "having fun" isn't a bad goal, it's also not a particularly good goal by itself.

If you often experience disappointment when your painting doesn't turn out as well as you had hoped, it may be an indication that, deep down, your goal wasn't really just "to have fun." If that sounds familiar, do what I recommended earlier—pick just one discipline to work on. Not a lot of pressure. Just one thing. If you learned something about that one thing by the end of the session, you've succeeded. And I'll bet you had fun, too.

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In the next Free Art Lesson, Improving Your Speed When Painting From Life: Part 2, I'll take this concept to the next level and share why you need different goals depending on what type of painting session it is.

—Adam

3 Ways to Conquer Foreshortening

You know it's not impossible. You've seen it done well before. You know your painting doesn't have to look flat, even though your canvas is flat. But no matter what you do, you can't get that foreshortened arm to look like it's coming toward you. Instead, it just looks too short!

Today, I'd like to share 3 Ways to Conquer Foreshortening. But first, I recommend that you check out The 4 Actions for Accurate Proportions. These 4 Actions are your first step to successful drawing—including drawing foreshortened limbs!

Now for 3 Ways to Conquer Foreshortening:

1. Simplify Into Basic Forms

Anatomy, in all its complexity, can be intimidating. That's why it's very helpful to envision the parts of the body as simple forms. This type of simplification is a huge help with foreshortening.

For example, when the masses of the forearm are simplified into a cylinder and box, it's much easier to envision what that form would look like foreshortened, and such foreshortening becomes easier to draw.

 

2. Use Lines to Show
Overlapping Forms

In the first drawing below, the forearm doesn't look foreshortened. It just looks too short. But in the second drawing, it's obvious that the forearm is foreshortened.

What made the difference? Just a few overlapping lines at the wrist and elbow were all that was needed to communicate that the hand overlaps the forearm, and the forearm overlaps the upper arm. Now, the forearm looks foreshortened instead of too short.

3. Try This Little Trick

I almost always use this little trick when drawing foreshortened arms and legs:

First, draw the hand or foot in the correct place;
then draw the arm or leg.

The foreshortened shapes of the leg would have been more difficult to draw accurately had the foot not been placed first. By drawing the foot first, it was much easier to see that just a few simple lines were needed to communicate the masses of the leg.

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Whew! We have covered a lot of ground in this series on the figure! I've shared how to achieve accurate proportions, how to create figures that are dynamic and not stiff, how to draw a head in proportion to the body, and more…

But there's a big challenge I haven't discussed yet—Improving Your Speed In Life Sessions.

Drawing a Head in Proportion to the Body

It's a very common problem—your hand was flying during that gesture drawing session as you raced against the clock to capture the model before you. You thought everything looked good. But now, stepping back from your work, you notice a big problem (or shall we say a "little" problem)—A full-grown adult was modeling, but a little child ended up on your drawing paper. What happened?

In the rush of things, you didn't notice that you had drawn the head much too big for the body (or perhaps the body too small for the head).

For me, the greatest help in overcoming this problem was memorizing a diagram of standard head-height proportions like the one below (drawn by me after Andrew Loomis). Notice the figures have been divided into 8 "head-heights":

Note: If an 8-head figure looks too tall to you,
do a Google image search for a 7.5-head figure
by Andrew Loomis, Paul Richer or George Bridgman.
Exactly which diagram you memorize is less important
than just memorizing one of them (as long as it's from
a trusted source like one of the above artists).

I used to disregard diagrams like this for 2 reasons:

1. I thought, "I don't need this—When am I ever going to draw a figure just standing up straight like that?"


2. "This is useless—How often am I going to draw someone with the exact same proportions as these?"

But I've changed my mind about this. I've found that memorizing standard proportions is invaluable to me when I'm drawing a figure. Here's why:

• You'll be able to accomplish tough poses with confidence, even when the model isn't standing up straight like in the diagram. For example, let's say the model has her arm stretched way out to the side. Just using your eye, it can be tough to know exactly how long to draw her arm. But if you remember that the length of the arm is about 2 head heights from armpit to wrist, you can make a quick measurement and draw that arm the right length.
   
• You'll know what to expect. When you don't know what to expect, you have to solve the same proportion problems afresh every time you draw a figure. Having prior knowledge about proportions will aid you in achieving an accurate drawing much more quickly and efficiently.
   

In addition, You'll be able to accurately compensate when the model has different proportions that the ones you memorized. When my model is shorter than the 8-head figure I've memorized, I can compensate by drawing each division of the body a bit shorter. But if I hadn't memorized the head-height diagram, I wouldn't know what the divisions of the body are to begin with.

I recommend memorizing the head-height diagram in this email by drawing copies of it until you can make an accurate copy without looking at the original. You'll find it a great help next time you draw a figure from life.

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Now, you might be thinking, "You say that memorizing head-heights can help me draw figures in proportion, but what about tough situations like foreshortened limbs?" Well, I'm glad you asked, because that's exactly what I'll talk about next in 3 Ways to Conquer Foreshortening.

Creating Figures That Look Dynamic, Not Stiff (Part II)

Do you struggle to create figures that look dynamic and not stiff? When you commit to painting a studio figurative work, you know it will be a time investment, so you want to get it right. There are few things more frustrating than spending hours upon hours painting a figure, only to step back and realize the pose looks forced, faked or stiff.

Today, I'll share some tips for making your figures look dynamic and full of life.

1. Don't Fake Action Poses

This little girl's parents commissioned me to paint their daughter (Jenna) dashing across their patio. The last thing I wanted to do was tell the girl "OK, act like you're running. Now, hold that pose and let me take your picture." My painting would have ended up looking like a posed mannequin!

Instead, I actually had her run through the patio again and again in a circuit. Each time she ran through, I had my camera ready (set to a fast shutter speed) and took as many photos as I could before she ran out of view. Fortunately, Jenna had lots of energy and enjoyed running in circles!

2. Don't Pose Your Model Too Much

Has this ever happened to you? You have a great idea for a figure painting. You have a clear mental image of how you'd like the model to pose, and maybe you've even drawn a few sketches from your imagination. But when the model arrives, and you try to get her to pose like your sketch, she looks awkward and uncomfortable (maybe even a bit pale).

First, get your model a nice cold glass of water. Then, suggest taking a break to relax. After a few minutes, your model will probably have settled into a very natural-looking pose. Often, the pose a person assumes when they're not trying is better than the one you invented!

3. Practice Gesture Drawing

Yes, I said the "P-word"—practice. But this kind of practice is OK. Gesture drawing is fun! Furthermore, gesture drawing can sharpen your eye for accuracy while helping you infuse your drawings with movement and energy.

I discussed gesture drawing in Part I of this lesson. Now, I'll give some tips for practicing gesture drawing successfully:

• Set a time limit for each gesture drawing.
  Warm up with a few 1- or 2-min sketches.
  Then try 2 or 3 5-min sketches. Then do a 10-min sketch.


• Frequency and focus are key to improving. If you're just starting out with gesture drawing, I recommend practicing 30 min/day every day for 1 month. After this period, practice at least once a week.


• During the gesture drawing, check your drawing by applying the 4 Actions for Accurate Proportions with your eyes.
  After the gesture drawing, double-check your drawing by applying the 4 Actions with a measuring tool.


• Draw from life as much as possible, but if you don't have access to a model, there are many online resources that provide photo slideshows for drawing. You can also make your own by hiring a model for an afternoon and taking lots of photos.

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Practicing gesture drawing can help you loosen up and create figures that look dynamic and not static. However, maintaining accuracy while gesture drawing can be a challenge. Next, I'll share an important tip for maintaining accuracy in Drawing a Head in Proportion to the Body.

Until then, happy painting!
Adam

Painting Figures That Look Dynamic, Not Stiff

Do you struggle to create figures that look dynamic and not stiff? Maybe you've applied those 4 Actions for Accurate Proportions, and have measured and re-measured. Everything seems to be accurate. And yet, in your drawing, the figure still looks stiff as a board!

The 4 Actions can indeed help you achieve accuracy. But accuracy and liveliness are sometimes 2 different things. At the end of the last lesson, I mentioned there is actually kind of a 5th action—the gesture line.

Practicing gesture lines is a key to creating figures that look dynamic and not stiff.

What Gesture Lines Are
And Why You Need Them

"Gesture lines" are simply lines that communicate the implied movement or "rhythm" of a person's pose (see the examples below).

Even when a person is holding still, the human body naturally tends to have graceful, flowing lines that imply movement. This implied movement is what the gesture line does a great job of capturing.

Typically, gesture drawing is done from life, and under a short time limit. Each example above represents about 2–3 minutes of drawing. Below, I've spent just a couple more minutes on each drawing (click images to enlarge).

In the extra time spent on each drawing, I simply built more specific shapes on top of my original gesture lines. If you use your initial gesture lines as the foundation for a drawing, they can help your drawing retain some of the energy of those gesture lines.

But your drawing will only be as strong as your foundation. That's why—even when you're gesture drawing—you still need to apply the 4 Actions for Accurate Proportions. Because of the limited time-frame of a gesture drawing session, it's impractical to hold up a measuring tool for every mark. However, you still have to apply the 4 Actions using your eye.

How This Applies
To You as a Painter

You might be thinking, "That's great for drawing, but I want to paint." Well, it's a funny thing—a disciplined practice of gesture drawing can lead to a command of the gesture line, which in turn can help your figure paintings look more dynamic. I'm not 100% sure why this is the case, but I think it may go something like this:

1. Gesture drawing can give you familiarity with (and therefore greater confidence in) drawing the basic shapes of the human figure.


2. This confidence can help you break free from a slavish adherence to static photo references when painting a studio work.


3. With practice, the energy and liveliness of gesture drawing can be wielded in harmony with the objectivity of the 4 Actions to create figures that are both accurate and artistic.

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I'll share more figure drawing tips next time in Painting Figures That Look Dynamic, Not Stiff (Part II).

Until then,
Adam

The 4 Actions for Accurate Proportions

One of the most valuable lessons I learned at art school was the 4 Actions for Accurate Proportions. With just 4 actions, you can draw absolutely anything under the sun… with the correct proportions! Yes, I'm being serious.

1. Compare distances 
2. Copy angles 
3. Check alignments 
4. Consider negative shapes

Now I'll demonstrate each one…

Note: In the following illustrations, I measure the proportions of a painting. However, in real life, I would measure the proportions of my subject first, and then measure my painting to ensure the proportions of my painting matched the proportions of my subject.

1. Compare Distances

A. Hold out your brush handle (or pencil, etc.) against your subject. Close 1 eye so you don't see double.

Choose any 2 points on your subject. Mark off the distance between these two points using the tip of your brush handle and the tip of your thumb. In example "A," I've marked off the distance between the top of the girl's hair and the bottom of her chin.

B. Now, see if this distance compares to any other distance in your subject. In example "B," I've discovered that the distance between the top of the girl's head and the bottom of her chin equals the distance between the bottom of her chin and the bottom of the bowl.

Why this is awesome
Now that I've found where the bottom of the bowl goes,
I will be much less likely to make her arms too long or
too short as I draw them between the head and the bowl.
Continuously comparing distances like this will
help you achieve correct proportions, no matter
your subject's shape or size.

2. Copy Angles

Compare a horizontal or vertical brush handle to an angle in your subject to determine how much the angle is tilted. In this example, a horizontal brush handle makes it much easier to tell how much the girl's eyes are tilted.

3. Check Alignments

Use your brush handle like a plumb line to find 2 points that align to each other. In this example, I've discovered that the corner of the girl's mouth (A) is directly below the edge of her eye socket (B). Finding this unexpected alignment greatly helped me to draw the tilt of her head correctly!

4. Consider Negative Shapes

Let's say I've been drawing and re-drawing the arm, and it still doesn't look right. But then, I shift my focus and look at the negative shape–that triangular shape of air between the crook of her arm and her side. I focus on drawing that shape correctly, and suddenly—viola! Her arm looks accurate too. Often, correctly drawing a negative shape will automatically improve a positive shape.

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Now, I know I said there are just 4 Actions for Accurate Proportions, but there's kind of 1 more–the gesture line. I'll talk about that next time in Painting Figures That Look Dynamic, Not Stiff.

Until next time,
Adam